Public Officers Take to the Streets
At midday today, public officers across the country walked out of their respective government buildings and took to the streets in the various municipalities in anticipation of strike action that is to take effect next Tuesday. News Five’s Duane Moody was out on Freetown Road where teachers joined public officers and paraded through the streets for an hour. Here’s that report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
It was a calculated move made by the Public Service Union today, when at the stroke of twelve o’clock public officers in Belize City packed up and left their offices to congregate on Freetown Road. Within minutes and with placards in hand, they paraded along the main thoroughfare momentarily interrupting traffic at some points.
Jacqueline Meighan
Jacqueline Meighan, Public Officer
“I am out here on my lunch break.”
Duane Moody
“So for how long are you going to be walking the streets?”
Jacqueline Meighan
“Until as long as they decide they will not cut my salary. My salary cut is like somebody whole house rent. I have the right to come out here and advocate for my salary because this is my salary. And I have the right to be out here and defend the salary that I have worked for.”
The activity was held across the country in various municipalities.
Gerald Henry
Gerald Henry, President, Public Service Union
“A continuation of what we have been doing in terms of our industrial action. And we always said that we wanted to maintain a degree of presence and consciousness in terms of what this action is all about. And hence the reason why we continue to engage in these industrial actions.”
Joining the public officers today in Belize City were teachers from the Belize District Branch of the B.N.T.U.
Tanya Flowers-Gillett
Tanya Flowers-Gillett, B.N.T.U. President, Belize District Branch
“We just united with P.S.U. members and we did a small demonstration down Freetown; that was the goal today as they embark on their strike. To our members, I am just appealing to you all to come out and join us in full forces and let’s stand out ground and send out message. The ten percent is out there, but there are other things that we are fighting for. So let’s stand our ground as B.N.T.U. and get the message across so that five years, ten years [from now] we are not here again. Honestly, we need to make a stand now and get it over with.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
The pay cut for public officers and teachers will take effect beginning next month and will be reflected in May pay days.
